Adjustable floor clean-out extension



March 16, 1965 F. s. SAVILLE ADJUSTABLE FLOOR CLEAN-OUT EXTENSION FiledApril 50, 1962 INVENTOR. fawn/(5 feat/f2 A TORNEYS United States Patent3,173,443 ADJUSTABLE FLOOR CLEAN-OUT EXTENSION Frank S. Saville, 839Touhy, Barrington, Ill. Filed Apr. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 191,011 2 Claims.(Cl. 137362) The present invention relates to improvements in floorclean-outs of the access closure type on sewer pipes and generallylocated in a basement or utility room floor. More particularly, theinvention relates to such a cleanout structure which is especiallyadapted for installation in concrete floors of substantial variations inthickness or elevation in respect to the top of the clean-out open ingof the pipe.

All prior clean-out structures with which I am familiar or which havecome to my attention have entailed timeconsuming labor to effect properadjustment of the top of the clean-out with the floor level. Forexample, cast iron clean-out extensions-provided with peripheralscorings to enable cutting off rings of the extension tube foradjustment as to height require substantial handling and labor to effectproper height adjustment, involving cutting off of the unwanted rings ofthe tube. Furthermore, such prior devices have been unduly expensive.

Another deficiency of prior devices has resided in inability to effectadjustment of the top of the clean-out assembly for variations in gradeor pitch of the floor level. This has generally resulted in one side ofthe top of the clean-out projecting above grade and thus producing anundesirable hump in the floor, or one side depressed below grade andthus producing an undesirable depression in the floor.

It is accordingly an important object of the present invention toprovide a clean-out assembly which will overcome the foregoing and otherdeficiencies of the prior art and which will satisfactorily meet allrequirements for installation and service.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedclean-out construction providing novel means for effecting accurateadjustments for elevation throughout a substantial range and infinitelyincremental within such range.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedclean-out assembly which enables installation and pouring of a concretefloor without labor in setting the top of the assembly to grade.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel clean-outassembly which is constructed and arranged to be mounted permanently ona sewer pipe cleanout flange, and after a concrete floor has been pouredand set is easily conformed to the floor grade quickly and accurately.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improvedclean-out assembly which is adapted to be supplied as a complete unitready for installation.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedclean-out assembly which affords substantial economies both in thestructure involved and in installation costs.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will bereadily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional detail view showing a clean-outassembly according to the present invention as it appears wheninstalled; and

FIGURE 2 is an exploded detail view of the cleanout assembly.

According to the present invention, a clean-out assembly includes acaulking ferrule 5 of generally inverted cup shape having on one end,herein its lower end as shown in FIG. 1, a means comprising an anchorflange dimensioned to be engaged in the upwardly opening mouth flange 7of a standard form of sewer pipe cleanout inlet 8. Within the flange 7,the lower anchor flange end portion of the ferrule 5 is adapted to besecured in sealed relation by suitable caulking 9.

On its opposite, upper end, th ferrule 5 terminating in a generallyplanar crown surface having an opening therethrough in which is athreadedly interengaged clean-out plug 10 having a hollow headembossment 11 provided with wrench faces, being in this instance squarein outline.

Inasmuch as the top of the access pipe flange 7 is generally maintainednear or only slightly above ground level 12 and within or below thelevel of a fill bed 13 of gravel, cinders or sand, in any eventsubstantially below the floor grade provided by poured concrete floor14, means are provided for maintaining an access well 15 in the floorover the clean-out plug 19. For this purpose, a tubular, in thisinstance cylindrical, frame member 17 is provided of larger insidediameter than the plug it and smaller outside diameter than the outsidediameter of the crown surface of the ferrule 5. The frame member 17 has,as shown, rectilinearly smooth inner and outer longitudinal surfaces andopposite terminal surfaces transverse to the inner and outerlongitudinal surfaces. One terminal surface of the tubular frame member17 (the lower one as shown in FIGURE 1) abuts the planar crown surfaceof the ferrule 5 in a manner to enable ready access to and manipulationof the plug 10 as required. In the floor construction, as shown, thetubular frame member 17 extends to adjacent the top of the well 15, butsufiiciently short of the grade level of the floor 14 to accommodate atubular collar member 18. This tubular collar member 18 has alongitudinally extending first portion with a smooth external surface inslidable contact with the inner surface of the tubular frame member 17adjacent the remaining terminal surface of the frame plementary seatinggroove 22 provided at th upper end of the collar member 18 at junctureof the flange portion 19. Centrally the cover member 21 has an upwardlyflaring tapered hole 23 within which is engaged a head 24a on aretaining screw 24 which is of a length to extend down through thecollar member 18, the framed access well 15 within the frame member 17,and engages threadedly through a tapped central hole 25 in the crown ofthe wrench boss 11 of the clean-out plug 10.

An important advantage of the clean-out assembly of the presentinvent-ion resides in that it affords by virtue of the clamping togetherof all parts by the screw 24 a compact, unitary assembly adapted to besold and handled as a complete unit ready to be installed. Thus, allthat the installing workman need do is to place the fully assembledunit, having all parts secured together as shown in FIG. 1, with theferrule 5 in the throat flange 7 of the access sewer pipe member 8 andapply the caulking 9. Everything is now ready for the customary leaktest wherein, of course, the caulking 9 provides a leakproof sealbetween the ferrule 5 and the pipe mouth flange 7, the threadedinterengagement of the clean-out plug 10 with the crown flange of theferrule 5 effects a sufliciently watertight union of those two members,and the threaded interengagement of the screw 24 in the tapped hole 25of the clean-out plug boss effects a sufiiciently watertight connectionbetween those members.

After installation of the clean-out unit as thus described, everythingis in readiness for laying of the floor 14 which then proceeds withoutfurther attention to the clean-out unit. At this point another salientadvantage of the clean-out structure of the present invention manifestsitself. the exact thickness or elevation of the fioor 14 about theaccess well 15. Considerable latitude must be permitted in laying of thesewer pipe and the eventual elevation of the clean-out opening pipemouth, necessarily liberal structural tolerances, and substantialtolerances allowed for floor thicknesses and drainage pitch or grade.Accommodation or adjustment throughout a substantial range of elevationheights between the clean-out plug and the floor grade are provided forby the novel structure of the tubular frame member 17 which permitsinfinite adjustment of the height of the flanged collar member 18 andthus of the access cover 2 1 relative to the clean-out plug throughoutsubstantially the length of the frame member. For this purpose, thetubular frame member 17 is constructed of a thin material havingsufiicient rigidity to withstand normal handling as well as compressionforces encountered during the laying of a floor and more particularlyduring pouring of concrete thereabout in the laying of such a floor, buteasily severable by means of sheet metal trimming shears or othersuitable tool. Thin sheet metal on the order of that employed in tincans or sheet-metal stove pipes and the like has been found suitable.Suitable extruded plastic tubing of sufficient rigidity may also beemployed.

After the concrete floor 14- has been poured and trowelcd to a smoothfinish about the access well 15 which has been formed about the framemember 17 serving as a mold or form for this purpose, suitableadjustment of the flange collar 18 can readily be effected to bring theflange 19 flush with the floor grade, assuming, as is often the case,that the finished floor level turns out to be lower than the top of theclean-out unit as it was initially installed. Accordingly, the tubularframe member 17 is provided in a more or less standard length longenough to take care of the highest floor level reasonably to beanticipated but actually longer than the usual floor level with which itwill be associated. in other words, the frame member 17 is supplied withextra length to enable adjustment through a substantial range.

, After the concrete floor 14 has set, but before it has cured hard, anynecessary adjustment to reduce the height of the clean-out extensionunit is effected to bring the collar flange 19 flush with the floorsurface. It may be assumed that the over extension of the frame member17 is to a height as indicated in dot dash outline in FIGURE 1. First,the screw 24 is released by threading it free from the clean-out plugboss 11, thereby enabling removal of the access cover 21, and alsoremoval of the flange collar 18 from the frame member 17. If theflange-receiving groove 20 has not been provided for, such groove isroughly routed out, which can be easily etfected in the relatively greencement. The excess upward extension portion of the tubular frame member17 is then trimmed off as by means of a sheet metal band shear or nipperto the level of the bottom of the groove 20. Where the frame member 17is made of sheet metal there may be'some'unevenness or rough portions ofthe nipped edge and that can be hammered down if necessary. Of course,where the tubular frame member is made from a plastic material a nipperor knife may be utilized to trim off the excess length. After suchtrimming off, the flanged collar 18 is replaced by fitting it into thenow trimmed downupper end portion of the tubular frame member 17 untilthe upper face of the It is exceedingly diflicult to predetermineflange19 is flush with the floor 14, and any space between the flange 19 andthe floor can then be filled in with suitable grout to provide a smoothunbroken joint. Replacement of the cover 21 and running down of thescrew 24 through the threaded opening 25 in the clean-out plug boss 11-until it is tight completes the installation.

It will be observed that since the boss 11 is hollow, the lower endportion of the screw is free to extend below the clean-out plug 10 andthus no concern as to the length of the screw 24 or the extent to whichit may variably depend through the clean-out plug 10 need be had.Moreover, by anchoring the cover 21, the screw 24 also serves to anchorthe flange collar 18 against unintentional displacement.

By virtue of the readily effected trimming of the upper end portion ofthe tubular frame member 17, adjustment of the level of the flange 19and the cover 21 to the grade pitch is easily effected. Since the screw24 is of substantial length and thin, that is small diameter, it willreadily accommodate itself to the adjusted pitch of the cover 21, andthis is further implemented by the tapered form of the screw head recess23 and the tapered head 24a of the screw.

Any time access into the clean-out pipe 8 is desired, removal of thescrew 24 and then the cover 21 enables access to the clean-out plug 10which can readily be removed, and subsequently replaced, and theclean-out well reclosed by replacement of the cover 21 and tighteningdown of the screw 24.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effectedwithout departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the presentinvention.

I claim as my invention:

1. An adjustable floor clean-out extension assembly comprising,

a caulking ferrule having one end provided with a means for engagingwith a mouth flange of a clean-out pipe and terminating at its oppositeend in a generally planar crown surface having an opening'therethroughwith clean-out plug securedt'nerein,

a tubular frame member of larger inside diameter than said plug andsmaller outside diameter than the outside diameter of said crownsurface, said tubular frame member having rectilinearly smooth inner andouter longitudinal surfaces and opposite terminal surfaces transverse tothe inner and outer longitudinal surfaces,

said frame member being made from relatively thin material capable ofbeing easily severable by means of sheet metal trimming shears,

one terminal surface of said tubular frame member abutting said planarcrown surface,

a tubular collar member having a longitudinally extending first portionwith a smooth external surface in slidable contact with the innersurface of said tubular frame member adjacent the remaining terminalsurface of said frame member and having alateral annular flange secondportion with a surface in contact with said remaining terminal surfaceof said frame member,

said tubular collar member having a removable cover member closinglyreceived therein,

and a headed screw extending through said cover member with the headengaging the cover member and the screw extending longitudinally throughthe collar" member and the frame member and being threadedly secured tosaid clean-out plug clamping all parts of the assembly in unitaryrelation.

2. An adjustable floor clean-out extension as defined in claim 1,wherein the clean-out plug has a threaded opening extending entirelytherethrough and the screw is threaded through such opening with itsfree terminal projecting beyond the clean-out plug.

(References on following page) References Cited by the Examiner UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Joans 13889 X Pederson 50-127 5 Moran 220-85 Stone et a122029 X Frederickson 50-127 Bossey 138-89 X Pullman 50127 Svirsky 138-90Tubbs 13889 X Bossey -2 50126 Butler 2203.4 X Fuller 50126 X BENJAMINBENDETT, Primary Examiner.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner.

1. AN ADJUSTABLE FLOOR CLEAN-OUT EXTENSION ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, ACAULKING FERRULE HAVING ONE END PROVIDED WITH A MEANS FOR ENGAGING WITHA MOUTH FLANGE OF A CLEAN-OUT PIPE AND TERMINATING AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDIN A GENERALLY PLANAR CROWN SURFACE HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH WITHCLEAN-OUT PLUG SECURED THEREIN, A TUBULAR FRAME MEMBER TO LARGER INSIDEDIAMETER THAN SAID PLUG AND SMALLER OUTSIDE DIAMETER THAN THE OUTSIDEDIAMETER OF SAID CROWN SURFACE, SAID TUBULAR FRAME MEMBER HAVINGRECTILINEARLY SMOOTH INNER AND OUTER LONGITUDINAL SURFACES AND OPPOSITETERMINAL SURFACES TRANSVERSE TO THE INNER AND OUTER LONGITUDINALSURFACES, SAID FRAME MEMBER BEING MADE FROM RELATIVELY THIN MATERIALCAPABLE OF BEING EASILY SEVERABLE BY MEANS OF SHEET METAL TRIMMINGSHEARS, ONE TERMINAL SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR FRAME MEMBER ABUTTING SAIDPLANAR CROWN SURFACE, A TUBULAR COLLAR MEMBER HAVING A LONGITUDINALLYEXTENDING FIRST PORTION WITH A SMOOTH EXTERNAL SURFACE IN SLIDABLECONTACT WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID TUBULAR FRAME MEMBER ADJACENT THEREMAINING TERMINAL SURFACE OF SAID FRAME MEMBER AND HAVING A LATERALANNULAR FLANGE SECOND PORTION WITH A SURFACE IN CONTACT WITH SAIDREMAINING TERMINAL SURFACE OF SAID FRAME MEMBER, SAID ANNULAR COLLARMEMBER HAVING A REMOVABLE COVER MEMBER CLOSINGLY RECEIVED THEREIN, AND AHEADED SCREW EXTENDING THROUGH SAID COVER MEMBER WITH THE HEAD ENGAGINGTHE COVER MEMBER AND THE SCREW EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH THECOLLAR MEMBER AND THE FRAME MEMBER AND BEING THREADEDLY SECURED TO SAIDCLEAN-OUT PLUG CLAMPING ALL PARTS OF THE ASSEMBLY IN UNITARY RELATION.